GREATEST HITS: PRADA (PART TWO 2000-2009)

for the woman who was so instrumental in giving the nineties its minimalist identity, it is no surprise that it would be that same woman who would once again re-direct the course of fashion for the new millennium.
since her seminal "lady like" collection for spring 2000, prada continued to develop on the ideas of traditional notations of femininity by delving into the past to source inspirations and then finding the prada way to apply it for the times.
whether it be a sex bomb or post-war england's "make do and mend" philosophy, in the early half of the noughties, prada took the practicality of minimalism and slowly introduce new layers to the idea by introducing more and more decorative elements to her designs. a move that one would assume to be the complete antithesis for the woman who was responsible for stripping fashion down to its bare minimum only a decade before, prada somehow managed to utilize such decoration to heighten the potency of her message. a message that always crystalized the general feeling in the air and one that was never frivolous or superficial for the sake of fashion.
towards the latter of half of the decade the prada pendulum was about to take a dramatic shift, and for the fall of 2006 she went back to the utilitarian roots of the house and injected it with her own take on urban savagery that completely abolished any remnants of the "lady like" look she herself pioneered.
this marked the beginning of a more aggressive prada woman. complex, determined, and unapologetic. dressed in parkas, knits, nylon bombers and raincoats, the very clothes that were the backbone of the house in its early years, reinterpreted as armour for the modern woman.
this new confidence was followed with more sexually charged collections where her subversive take on female sexuality and the things that people closely relate to it made her work some of the most provocative collections of the decade.
towards the end of the two thousands and the arrival of the greatest economic crisis since the great depression, prada answered the gloomy global climate by sending out a collection of forties inspired suiting rich with texture in a sombre colour palette that signaled that these aren't times for which to play. it is a time for strength and these are the clothes that you will wear to battle.
for over twenty years miuccia prada's singular perspective has defined eras. from minimalism, to geek cheek, to lady like conservatism and a new form of power dressing, her talent is a testament to an uncompromising, unyielding vision. a vision that sparks movements and changes ideas and challenges institutions.
as the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close it would be useless to assume the direction prada is to head off to next. but when she finally reveals that destination, one can be sure that by next season everyone else is there. and by then she probably would've already moved on leaving the rest of the pack trying desperately to catch up.